2023-09-01 16:15:07
Zurzuvae, the first specific oral treatment for postpartum depression, has been approved in the United States.
The Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona participated in one of the two clinical trials that have enabled this milestone.
Treatment consists of one pill daily for fourteen days. At the end of the period, the patients experienced a significant improvement in symptoms, with visible results on the third day, which were sustained until at least one month after the end of treatment.
In total, more than 300 participants were recruited in Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom, of which half received a placebo and the other the drug. The results demonstrated a significant improvement in the treated group compared to the untreated group and were similar in both clinical trials. The patient profile was an adult woman with severe postpartum depression strongly induced by hormonal factors.
Zurzuvae is based on allopregnanolone, a neurosteroid created by the female sex hormone progesterone. Until now, there was only one medicine derived from this steroid to treat postpartum depression, but it has to be administered intravenously with a procedure that lasts 60 hours. The new drug is much easier to use, improving the availability, convenience and cost of treatment. Even so, its use is limited to severe cases, since it forces the abandonment of breastfeeding and prevents driving and other activities that require constant attention, for 12 hours after its administration.
Dr. Gemma Parramon Puig. (Photo: Vall d’Hebron)
Towards a more personalized treatment of depressions
Dr. Gemma Parramon Puig, psychiatrist and researcher in the Psychiatry, Mental Health and Addictions group at the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), one of those responsible for the clinical trial, emphasizes that the new drug is intended for a specific group of women with postpartum depression: “These are patients whose pathology has a strong hormonal component, which opens the door for it to also be effective in other patients with depressive disorders not linked to childbirth, but also caused or aggravated by a hormonal imbalance “. The final objective of the research team is to move towards a more personalized treatment of depressions “they are diverse pathologies with heterogeneous causes and to achieve an effective response we need treatments adapted to each case”.
The data demonstrate the severity and extent of these depressive pathologies. Statistics show that, even before the pandemic, in Spain 7% of adults suffered from depression. The next survey is expected to show a significant increase in involvement. In the case of pregnant women, several studies suggest that one in ten mothers will have postpartum depression. (Source: Vall d’Hebron)
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